In a memo to the City Council, Blackwood said the F-35s and federal jurisdiction over the deployment are constitutionally protected and that federal law would override any local or state attempts to block the planes.

Blackwood added any attempt from the city to stop Washington from using the airport as they see fit could jeopardize the airport's federal funding.

“The city has built Burlington International Airport by receiving a lot of federal funds that are federal grants,” Blackwood told WPTZ NewsChannel 5. “There is a federal law that goes along with those grants that requires that an airport that accepts these grant monies will allow government airplanes to land.”

Also, as part of the airport’s lease agreement with the Air Guard, it is unlikely the city would be held liable for any damage that could come from the planes, Blackwood said.

The city has secured liability coverage for the airport up to $100 million, the memo said.

In a media release, Mayor Miro Weinberger thanked Blackwood for her work, which he said, “clarifies the decision before the city Council and exposes the inaccuracy of the many claims made by anti-F-35 leaders in recent months.”

Minutes after the memo was released Thursday, opponents announced a renewed tactic, focusing on the Air Force’s lack of informing the public about environmental concerns regarding the plane’s composites -- chemical components that make up the jet.

“The Air Force never covered that in their assessment, and that is a glaring and very substantive omission,” said retired Air Force colonel and F-35 opponent Rosanne Greco.

Greco and other opponents sent a letter to the Pentagon on Thursday asking for an updated or supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, which would lay out the dangers of composites, she said.

As for a resolution from the council, Greco said she wants to see something, even if it’s symbolic.

“There is a distinction between the City Council's voicing its opposition to the basing of the F-35 and the Council's instructing the City to take an action to try and block its basing, which raises the risks identified in this memo,” Blackwood writes in the memo. “Voicing opposition would be a political statement that is protected speech and would carry with it a different set of risks and opportunities than those explored here.”

“Legalities aside, you are now looking at a military-civilian kind of issue here where the ruling seems to indicate the military is in charge,” Greco said.

Earlier Thursday, City Councilor Vince Brennan, P-Ward 3, told WPTZ he plans to move forward with the introduction of two anti-F-35 resolutions. At that time he was briefed, but had not yet read Blackwood’s memo.

Brennan and City Councilor Rachel Siegel, P-Ward 3, spoke about the resolutions at a news conference Thursday morning outside the Guard base.

The pair suggested the city could alter the lease agreement the Guard has with the airport to ban the F-35s.

Both councilors want the Air Force to wait before basing the plans in Burlington, citing worries about the plane’s safety.

“The idea of a crash happening here in this populated of an area is just terrifying,” Siegel said.

Greco also echoed that sentiment and said if the Pentagon chooses Burlington, she hopes the F-35 would have at least 1 million flying hours before its anticipated 2020 arrival.

The leader of the Vermont Air Guard said the F-35 has been flown since December 2006 and has not had a crash.

“If you're using safety or anybody that's using safety as a primary reason to delay a basing, it's unjustified,” Gen. Richard Harris said.

Harris added the Air Guard has a perfect safety record.

City Council will hold a public forum on the F-35 on Oct. 28.

"In terms of what the City Council should or shouldn't do, I have not had that discussion with the City Council on what the effects of what one resolution or another would be," Blackwood said.

MANUEVERING GOOD EVENING... I'M STEPHANIE GORIN. I'M GEORGE MALLET. BURLINGTON'S CITY ATTORNEY TODAY RELEASED HER LEGAL OPINION ON THE SUBJECT OF F- 35'S. SHE CONCLUDES THE CITY HAS NO WAY TO BAR THE JETS FROM BASING AT BURLINGTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. WPTZ BROKE THAT STORY EARLIER TONIGHT. NEWS CHANNEL FIVE'S DAVID CHARNS IS OUR POINT MAN ON THE STORY AND JOINS US LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM. DAVID? - BOXES EILEEN BLACKWOOD SAYS BURLINGTON CAN'T STOP THE F-35 FROM COMING TO ITS AIRPORT ... BECAUSE THE CONSTITUTION AND OTHER LAWS GIVE THE GOVERNMENT THE RIGHT TO LAND HERE. THE ISSUE GOES EVER FURTHER -- WHEN IT COMES TO HOW FEDERAL FUNDS ARE FUELING THE CITY'S AIRPORT. ALL THIS MEANING THERE'S WAY THE CITY -- LEGALLY -- CAN SAY 'NO.' nat CITY ATTORNEY EILEEN BLACKWOOD SAYS BURLINGTON CAN'T SAY 'NO' TO THE MILITARY -- OR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. Eileen Blackwood City Attorney the city has built burlington international airport by receiving a lot of federal funds that are federal grants and there is a federal law that goes along with those grants that requires that an airport that accepts these grant monies will allow government airplanes to land nat THAT INCLUDES THE F-35. BLACKWOOD SAYS CITY COUNCIL COULD BAN THE PLANES FROM THE CITY AIRPORT -- BUT IT WOULDN'T STAND UP IN COURT. David Charns minutes after the legal memo came out -- opponents had a new fight. this time about composites and what the f-35 is made of Rosanne Greco Opponent the air force never covered that in their assessment, and that is a glaring and very substantive omission RETIRED AIR FORCE COLONEL -- AND F-35 OPPONENT ROSANNE GRECO -- SAYS DANGERS AROUND COMPOSITES ARE REAL AND UNKNOWN. SHE AND OTHER OPPONENTS SENT A LETTER TO THE PENTAGON THURSDAY -- ASKING FOR AN UPDATED E-I-S... WHERE THE PLANE'S MATERIALS ARE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. nat - airport AS FOR ANY RESOLUTION FROM THE COUNCIL... GRECO WANTS TO SEE SOMETHING... EVEN IF ITS SYMBOLIC. SHE ADDS THE CITY MEMO SUGGESTS BURLINGTON IS THE LITTLE GUY IN THE FIGHT -- BUT THAT ADVERSARIES NEED TO STAND UP -- AND ASK QUESTIONS. Rosanne Greco Opponent legalities aside, you are now looking at a military-civilian kind of issue here where the ruling seems to indicate the military is in charge MAYOR MIRO WEINBERGER PUT OUT THIS STATEMENT THANKING BLACKWOOD... ADDING QUOTE :"HER WORK CLARIFIES THE DECISION BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL AND EXPOSES THE INACCURACY OF MANY OF THE CLAIMS MADE BY ANTI F-35 LEADERS IN RECENT MONTHS." A PUBLIC FORUM IS SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 28-TH -- AND THAT'S WHEN THE COUNCIL IS EXPECTED TO WEIGH IN. LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM, I'M DAVID CHARNS, WPTZ NEWSCHANNEL 5. EARLIER THIS EVENING -- COUNCILOR VINCE BRENNAN TOLD W-P-T-Z HE PLANS TO GO FORWARD WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF TWO ANTI "F- 35" RESOLUTIONS. AT THAT TIME HE WAS BRIEFED -- BUT HADN'T YET READ THE CITY ATTORNEY'S MEMO. BRENNAN AND FELLOW COUNCILOR RACHEL SIEGEL SPOKE ABOUT THE RESOLUTIONS AT A MORNING NEWS CONFERENCE OUTSIDE AIR GUARD GATES. THE TWO SUGGESTED THE CITY COULD ALTER THE LEASE THE AIR GUARD HAS WITH THE AIRPORT TO NOT ALLOW F-35 USE THERE. BOTH COUNCILLORS WANT THE AIR FORCE TO WAIT BEFORE BASING THE PLANES IN BURLINGTON. THEY SAID THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT THE PLANE'S SAFETY. SIEGEL the idea of a crash happening here in this populated of an area is just terrifying. GENERAL HARRIS: if you're using safety or anybody that's using safety as a primary reason to delay a basing, it's unjustified THAT WAS THE LEADER OF THE VERMONT AIR LEADER OF THE VERMONT AIR GUARD. HE SAID THE F-35 HAS BEEN FLOWN SINCE DECEMBER OF 2006 AND HASN'T HAD A CRASH. HE ADDED THAT THE VERMONT AIR GUARD HAS A PERFECT SAFETY RECORD. -